MIAMI (Ticker) -- Alonzo Mourning's comeback was better than the
one engineered by his Miami Heat teammates.

Mourning returned to a standing ovation and had nine points and
six rebounds in a reserve role but the Heat could not overcome a
second-half deficit in a 101-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors, who
got 38 points from Vince Carter.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Mourning announced that
the kidney disorder that had sidelined him for the entire season
was "in remission" and that he would return on a game-by-game
basis.

The reigning two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year did not
start at center but entered with 3:43 left in the first quarter
to a rousing roar from the crowd of 18,221 at American Airlines
Arena.

"I got the chills. It felt great," Mourning said. "Words
cannot express the feeling I have for this city. The fans are
one of the reasons that I have made an attempt to come back."

Mourning looked winded at times and clearly was out of rhythm as
he made just 3-of-11 shots. But his defensive presence was a
factor as he changed a handful of shots.

"At times I got very exhausted," he said. "This is basically to
be expected. I have been out of the game for six months. I have
been working out as hard as I can to prepare myself but I still
have a lot of work to do."

"I was committed to playing him 19 or 20 minutes tonight," Heat
coach Pat Riley said. "We are just going to work that out and
let that take on a life of its own. We have to get him
comfortable and get our players comfortable with him. This is
another step in that process."

The six-time All-Star was not on the floor down the stretch,
when the Heat could not catch the Raptors. He exited right
before Miami pulled within 89-87 with 4:43 remaining.

Carter, who made 14-of-27 shots, answered with a tough leaning
jumper and Alvin Williams made a 20-footer and 3-pointer on
consecutive trips, giving Toronto a 96-87 lead with 3:07 to go.
The Heat got no closer than five points thereafter.

Dell Curry scored a season-high 23 points before leaving with
cramps and Williams added 14 and 11 assists for the Raptors, who
won in Miami for the first time in nine visits since February
13, 1996.

"We just did what we had to do whether Alonzo Mourning played or
not," Carter said.

"This was a great win for us," Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens said.
"With Alonzo Mourning coming back, you knew it was going to be
an emotional thing early and you just have to get through that."

Anthony Mason had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Hardaway
scored 21 points for the Heat, who had won the first four games
of a five-game homestand.

Toronto (39-32) moved one-half game ahead of Orlando into sixth
place in the Eastern Conference. Miami (42-28) remained tied
with New York for third place.

"We are nearing the latter part of the season and it is
extremely important for us to play well," Mourning said. "I
want to be a contributor but at the same time I do not want to
disrupt the flow of what we have established. I still want to
get into the game and help us win.

"During the last 12 games we have to establish a level of
consistency defensively. It will continue to take a lot of
work."

The Heat trailed 78-71 entering the fourth quarter and began to
rally with Mourning on the floor. His tip-in made it 89-85 and
Mason made two free throws to cut the deficit to two with 4:43
to go.

But Mourning departed and the Raptors recovered. Carter scored
and Williams made the two biggest hoops of the game, a 21-footer
from the right wing and a 3-pointer one step further back.

"Getting all the way back to 89-87 and then giving Alvin two
clean looks at the basket is sort of what did us in," Riley
said.

Mason and Jerome Williams traded free throws before the biggest
possession of the game. Miami had four shots but did not score,
with the last two attempts by Brian Grant swatted by Carter.

Hardaway scored with 55 seconds left but Carter made four free
throws in the final 35 seconds. He scored 13 points in the
final period.

Charles Oakley had 12 points and 14 rebounds and Antonio Davis
added 12 and 10 before being ejected late in the third period
for the Raptors, who shot 49 percent (38-of-77), including
8-of-13 from the arc.

Cedric Ceballos had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Grant scored
10 points for the Heat, who shot 38 percent (33-of-87) and
committed just eight turnovers.

The Raptors got the early jump an led 18-14 when Mourning came
on in the first quarter. They widened the lead to 25-17 after
one period as Mourning missed a hook and a jumper.

"I think he was nervous and got winded real quick," Hardaway
said. "His legs left him real quick, but you expect that from a
guy who hasn't played since the Olympics."

Mourning finally scored at the 9:58 mark of the second period as
he missed a hook but grabbed his own rebound, drew a foul and
made 1-of-2 from the line. He missed a drive less than a minute
later but dunked with 7:58 to go.

"Just because you get somebody back doesn't mean it's going to
change things around," Grant said. "Things have to get worked
in. It's going to take some time."

Hardaway's 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run and gave the Heat a
38-37 lead with 5:09 left. But Curry scored five points in the
final minute of the first half, giving the Raptors the lead for
good at 52-47.